The South Korean military says it has staged joint maritime drills with Japan and the United States with the participation of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The exercise comes at a time when North Korea is forging ahead with its nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea's Navy says the trilateral exercise took place in international waters southeast of the country's southern island of Jeju on Sunday.

It also says the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson joined vessels from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korea's Navy in the exercise. The carrier arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Tuesday.

The Navy adds that the exercise involved an air defense drill based on simulated situations, such as a missile launch from North Korea.

The Navy says the exercise was held amid growing threats from the air following Pyongyang's launch of what it claims to be a military reconnaissance satellite last week and its demonstration flight of what it says are new types of unmanned aerial vehicles in July.

The Navy emphasizes that the three countries carried out the exercise to bolster their close cooperation and operational capabilities amid North Korea's rising nuclear and missile threats.